Creating Killer Interactive Web Sites: The Art of Integrating Interactivity and Design

Rating:
Summary: Not the "only title you need" on Web design.
Review: Lots of good tips and tricks, and a broader, more strategic view on Web design. There are lots of interesting ideas in the book, but I think it's a bit shallow on the technial side. But my greatest complaint: it feels like dozens of pages of boasting, showing off, call it what you will. Yes, their work looks great, and these guys have the stuff needed for good design, but you can do this more tastefully, like, for example, Dave Siegel. And although the "companion Website" looks great, I think it's almost free of content.

Rating:
Summary: Wow. Pure Genius.
Review: Many books focus on HTML techniques, others in color management, others in navigation... this one focus on work - how is it done. If you are about to create a new web design agency (like me) then man - this one gets it right! It doesn't get all 5 stars because it's a bit old and its companion web site is gone.

Rating:
Summary: Web design explained from scratch
Review: Many books focus on HTML techniques, others in color management, others in navigation... this one focus on work - how is it done. If you are about to create a new web design agency (like me) then man - this one gets it right! It doesn't get all 5 stars because it's a bit old and its companion web site is gone.

Rating:
Summary: Seems to Represent a Culture Gap
Review: My book on html and javascript was more helpful on interactivity. This book seems to demark a line between people who can "just do it" and those who need a board room, 10 people, and six meetings in order to figure out where the best place to stick the navigation bar might be. Those already trained in color theory, minor marketing ideas, and are up-to-the minute with html and other web languages/programs such as Javacript and Flash can skip it. Something about executives copying "cool" style leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Those with confidence enough to think for themselves should do so.

Rating:
Summary: Didn't follow through with promise of companion website.
Review: This book is simply brilliant. It is quite frankly the business methodology of one of the foremost digital communications groups in the world to-day. (And I am surprised that they have gone into such detail.) The authors have, in my view, wisely avoided the pitfalls of discussing the technology, and concentrated on the communication. Although IT gurus may find it superficial, those interested in communications will find it biblical. Disregard the few who complain of a company boasting of its abilities; the book is not pretending to be anything other than a "How-we-do-it" explanation by the guys from Adjacency. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence will understand the context in which it is written and I found no statement suggesting that this is the only way. If you aspire to creating the most effective digital communications you can, you must buy this book, whatever it costs, for within you will find information that is priceless.

Rating:
Summary: A "why and how" book for web design.
Review: This is an excellent book on web design. The tips, design analysis, design process, examples- both on-line and in the text- support the concept of "interactive design". After having read the book, I ventured to the web site to examine the samples and sites discussed. The web site was exciting, creative, and well worth the visit. This book has one of the best relationships between content and examples. The content of the book is clearly exemplified throughout the book, and the web site allows a critical analysis of the design practices and procedures discussed. Creating Killer Interactive Web Sites is organized and written for people with little design background to the experienced professional. One of the strongest points about this book is not the book, but rather how the material and supporting material are intertwined to produce a truly comprehensive design and analysis oriented book.

Rating:
Summary: Design that works
Review: Web Design is more than good design. Good design is necessarybut not sufficient. It needs to be complemented by clever design. Thisis the point that gets driven home by the book from Adjacency. And funnily enough, its not just talk - all the concepts are tried and tested. It is refreshingly different to read a "how to" book that gets down from the pulpit of painful platitudes and makes a big deal about techniques and tricks that really work. Not to short circuit great design, but to augment it, for a medium that is bursting out of its technological seams for the last three years.

Conquering the trade off between high graphics and high download speeds, making pictures bleed off the page without scrolling, how to design for the 640-480 monitor as well as the 800-600 monitor (a personal favourite) - these are some of the magic tricks that the book shares. In addition, the attention paid to site management, updating, information design and branding, are eye-openers to web designers overly preoccupied with the interface design.

The profile of the authors is really where the book takes off. Pascal (love the name!), who can't figure out whether he's a designer or a programmer. And Andrew Sather, with training in graphic design, creative writing and art history, there's always enough in the book to suggest a level of thinking that requires the burst of brilliance made possible by the synergy of distinct disciplines. Proving once again that the web is really the Wild West for interdisciplinary cowboys.

Take the issue of branding. The book suggests the creation of a brand board - a practice not uncommon in real-life branding and communication exercises. The idea is to create a set of visuals, images, words and actually create a collage that is used by the design people. Further, there is also a clear need to develop a user profile (beyond saying NRI or all Indians). The user profile needs to get into psychographics, demographics and technographics. The last refers both to the kind of comp! uting infrastructure and access to the net, browser preferences, screen resolution and the like, as well as their attitude to technology, information and browsing habits.

A particularly interesting technique to handle mutiple browsers, for example, is to use large images with transparent GIFs and hypertext. The background image can be a JPEG, which will exactly fit a 600-800 screen. But the text and the foreground are all designed to fit the 640-480 screen. The bottom and right end of the image, therefore, are areas which are not always seen and serve primarily to present a complete picture. The compression can be increased in this area, so that the overall file size stays small. Clearly, there is no reason to succumb to the trade-off between rich images and download times. Instead there must always be a push to break the trade-off to achieve both. It is this thinking which, more than anything else is the signature of "Creating Killer Interactive Web Sites".

The authors don't stop at design, they highlight the need to stay in touch with the client after the launch. Quarterly reviews of competing sites and updates on technology are some of the things that you can do to promote the relationship and elevate it to a new plane. The site launch has not been ignored either. A site needs to be launched with some fanfare. A press conference, an event, a competition or an on line event are some of the things that you can do to promote the site at launch. The drama of unveiling the site has a certain power that makes the site larger than life.

This is another good idea that has actually been implemented. Using the web itself should be a natural corollary while talking about it. After all, as the final chapter in the book says, "A web Site Manager's work is never done. For a great web site to remain viable, it must grow and evolve visually, editorially, functionally and technologically. Your site must at a minimum, stay abreast of devel! opments in your business. Ideally, you will continually evaluate your site's effectiveness vis-à-vis your business objectives and its usefulnesxs from the point of view of the user."

Rating:
Summary: Wow. Pure Genius.
Review: While this book was written a few years ago, it is one of the most balanced and comprehensive web design books ever written.

From the basics of good design, to sophisticated discussion on color selection and creating brand forward web sites, this book has it all. While it does not cover some of the newer technologies, the principles in this book are timeless and will help anyone today create a world class web site.

I strongly recommend this book to amateurs and pros alike.